In brief
A new Amnesty International investigation documents that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out a brutal campaign in El‑Fasher, Darfur, encompassing murder, torture, mass rape, and systematic ethnic cleansing. Evidence from videos and satellite imagery shows RSF soldiers targeted Zaghawa civilians and children, with over 6,000 deaths recorded in just three days of the siege. The report invokes the possibility of genocide, calling for immediate accountability, a ceasefire, and an international protectorate to shield remaining civilians. The RSF denies the allegations, while the Sudanese Armed Forces likewise face accusations of war crimes. The findings underline the escalating humanitarian crisis amid the three‑year conflict between the army and RSF.
Amnesty International has released a comprehensive report that details how the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), an elite Sudanese paramilitary group, carried out a harrowing campaign of violence in the city of El‑Fasher, in western Darfur, last year.
The report states that the RSF’s 18‑month siege of El‑Fasher resulted in killings, forced marches, mass rape, and systematic torture of civilians, with particular emphasis on children and women. Suspected perpetrators used rifles, sticks, and live ammunition to target households that were deemed hostile or ethnic minorities.
According to Amnesty’s analysis, which combed through more than 80 open‑source videos and satellite records, RSF fighters systematically targeted members of the local Zaghawa community while taking advantage of social media to broadcast brutal acts. The group’s use of anti‑Zaghawa slurs and instances of sexual slavery point to a deliberate pattern of ethnic violence, raising concerns of genocide under international law.
At the height of the battle, UN investigators recorded that more than 6,000 people were killed in the span of three days alone. The RSF’s actions, combined with the ongoing war to maintain control over Darfur, have laid the groundwork for Sudan’s worst humanitarian crisis, with 14 million displaced residents and 28 million facing acute food insecurity.
In addition to the evidence of direct violence, Amnesty references also forced relocations, on‑the‑spot executions and the mass abduction of youth for forced recruitment.
RSF leadership, however, has denied the allegations and claims that their operations were misrepresented. They say they are investigating a small number of alleged incidents, rejecting allegations of a systematic campaign.
Amnesty International urges an immediate ceasefire and calls for an international force to come in to protect civilians in Sudan. The report allegedly identifies RSF commanders who may have violated international law, calling for accountability before international arrest warrants can be issued.
The findings come amid the Sudanese civil war that has riven the country for three years, pitting the regular army against the RSF in a brutal power struggle that has left half the population homeless and the humanitarian response stretched to its limits.
While the report highlights the dire situation in El‑Fasher, it highlights that the RSF’s campaign is part of a sine‑wove pattern of war crimes across Sudan, with both RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces facing accusations yet refusing to admit responsibility.
Amnesty’s statements echo the UN’s assessment – it describes the situation in El‑Fasher as bearing “hallmarks of genocide.” The International Criminal Court may therefore have jurisdiction over the alleged crimes.
